Recognition of objects within a video

Abstract

There is provided a method for recognition of objects within a video, the video comprising a plurality of video frames. The method comprises detecting a plurality of object images present in the video frames; determining comparison scores between pairs of the object images; determining correlation scores between pairs of the object images, the correlation scores being correlations between the comparison scores; grouping the object images into groups of object images that show the same object as one another based on the correlation scores; and for at least one of the groups, using the object images of the group as object images of a single object in an object recognition process. —There is further provided a system for recognition of objects within a video.

1 . A method for recognition of objects within a video, the video comprising a plurality of video frames, the method comprising:
 detecting a plurality of object images present in the video frames;   determining comparison scores between pairs of the object images;   determining correlation scores between pairs of the object images, the correlation scores being correlations between the comparison scores;   grouping the object images into groups of object images that show the same object as one another based on the correlation scores; and   for at least one of the groups, using the object images of the group as object images of a single object in an object recognition process.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein detecting object images present in the video frames comprises detecting object images along a scanning path across each video frame, the scanning paths across each video frame being the same as one another. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of object images are arranged into an object image list in an order corresponding to an order in which the object images are detected from the video frames. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining comparison scores between pairs of the object images comprises determining a comparison vector for each object image, the comparison vector comprising comparison scores between the object image and the other object images. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the plurality of object images consists of N object images, wherein the object image list is an N length object image list; and wherein determining comparison scores between pairs of the object images comprises determining an N:N comparison matrix containing comparison scores between each one of the plurality of object images and every other one of the plurality of object images, the rows and columns of the N:N comparison matrix defining the comparison vectors. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a first pair of the pairs of the object images comprises a first object image and a second object image, and wherein determining the correlation score between the first pair of the object images comprises correlating the comparison scores between the first object image and the plurality of object images, with the comparison scores between the second object image and the plurality of object images. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining correlation scores between pairs of the object images comprises determining a correlation vector for each object image, the correlation vector comprising correlation scores between the comparison scores of the object image and the comparison scores of the other object images. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein determining correlation scores between pairs of the object images comprises determining correlation scores between pairs of the comparison vectors. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein determining correlation scores between pairs of the object images comprises determining an N:N correlation matrix containing correlation scores between each one of the comparison vectors and every other one of the comparison vectors, the rows and columns of the N:N correlation matrix defining the correlation vectors. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein grouping the object images into groups comprises clustering the correlation vectors into clusters, and grouping the object images that correspond to the correlation vectors of each cluster into a respective one of the groups. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein clustering correlation vectors into clusters comprises clustering the correlation vectors based on a k-means clustering algorithm, an expectation-maximisation clustering algorithm, a Gaussian mixture model clustering algorithm, or a Bayesian estimator clustering algorithm. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the object recognition process comprises comparing each group of object images to a library of objects to determine which object the group of object images best correspond. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the objects are faces, wherein the object images are facial images, and wherein the object recognition process is a facial recognition process. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the facial recognition process comprises comparing each group of facial images to a library of faces to determine which face the group of facial images best correspond. 
     
     
         15 . A system for recognition of objects within a video, the system comprising a processor and a memory connected to the processor, the memory configured to store a library of object images and the, processor comprising an object detection module configured to detect object images in a video, an object grouping module configured to group object images into groups of object images that show the same object as one another, arid an object recognition module configured to compare each group of object images to the library of objects to determine which object the group of object images best correspond, wherein the object grouping module is further configured to:
 determine comparison scores between pairs of the object images;   determine correlation scores between pairs of the object images, the correlation scores being correlations between the comparison scores; and   group the object images into the groups of object images based on the correlation scores.   
     
     
         16 . (canceled)